Is it EVER okay to say I’m the action line “a beat”
Are parentheticals ONLY for the way the speaker talks
Can you say:
Bathsheba I love you (she pulls him to her) let’s just try
Writing Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for the craft of professional writing, including fiction, non-fiction, technical, scholarly, and commercial writing. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this communityIt's generally bad practice to put action in parentheticals. And best to avoid them as they can quickly become a crutch and are often unnecessary. In the example you listed, you could write it like this:
BATHSHEBA
I love you.
She pulls him in.
BATHSHEBA
Let's just try.
The action has much more impact when it's not wedged in between lines. It also breaks up the script more to create a sense of forward movement.